Mumbai: Supporters of the Shiv Sena set off on bike rallies waving saffron flags on Thursday in Goregaon, Jogeshwari and Andheri areas, which fall under the Mumbai North West constituency. Even as celebrations were on, young voters, including students and working professionals, expressed discontent over the second inning for the Modi government, claiming they feared such a sweeping mandate could lead to autocracy.
Gajanan Kirtikar, the Shiv Sena candidate from this constituency, emerged victorious against his Congress counterpart Sanjay Nirupam. The voters claimed the Sena has been in power for the last few years and should continue its reign. Kishore Varadkar, a Goregaon resident, said, “We have witnessed the work done by local leaders, who have attended to our needs by resolving various civic issues.”
Sena supporters took to the streets on bikes, shouting, “Shiv Senecha Vijay Aso” as they waved saffron flags. Aakruti Kiran, an Andheri resident, said, “Our state has a majority of Marathas and we have the power of unity, which has been evidently displayed in the election results. We hope this government will address the issues of our community and create more employment opportunities for the youth.”
On the other hand, young voters claimed they were unhappy with the BJP’s win. Rahul Diwan, a working youth, said, “The Modi-led government has enforced decisions like demonetisation, propagation of Hindutva and extreme communalism during its tenure. The PM promised to create employment opportunities, but we have faced a tough time finding secure jobs.”
In addition, student voters revealed they fear this government will lead to autocracy, as the entire BJP toes the line of Modi. Sanika Sharma, a student, said, “We all have witnessed the consequences of the implementation of decisions taken by one person. As students, we have been facing caste reservation as a major hurdle in admissions to various courses and this government supports communalism, by overlooking the minority. We are anxious about the next five years.”
